academy awards Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Louie Psihoyos's animal rights documentary The Cove (a film we've been championing since Sundance '09 - read our review here) has been opening eyes stateside and in a handful of overseas markets since opening last summer, but the real question was whether or not the people of Japan would hear about the mass dolphin harvesting that had been going on for years under their noses in the small fishing village of Taiji. According to a press release, Japanese audiences will get their chance to watch The Cove come April 2010, when distributor Medallion Media releases the Oscar nominated film.

In the press release (via The Hot Blog), Medallion Media director Norio Okahara stressed that the company was remaining neutral in the highly political dolphin harvesting debate, but that it was an important issue that deserved attention, so as to let the Japanese public decide for themselves. "In distributing The Cove we are not taking sides. Rather, we are presenting the film for the Japanese to decide for themselves about the issues it raises. There is a debate to be had here and this important film – and the Academy Award® nomination only serves to reinforce its importance - offers the opportunity for such a debate."

I was glad I opted to watch the opening night shorts program at this year's Sundance Film Festival because it was packed with four fantastic short films. One of those (arguably the favorite of the bunch) was an animated film called Logorama, written and directed by the French duo of François Alaux and Herve de Crecy. Now nominated for a Best Animated Short Oscar, Logorama takes place in a world full of corporate and brand logos (in which roughly 2,500 appear), and it follows a few different stories that all intertwine with one another. Honestly, it's bloody brilliant, and I guarantee it'll be the best thing you watch all week.

At Sundance, a bunch of us wondered how these guys could get away with making something like this without facing hundreds of lawsuits, and then we wondered whether legal matters would ever stop it from existing in some form online. Perhaps someone with a law background could chime in here, but in the meantime you simply must head after the jump to watch this film. My favorite part is the Joker-esque Ronald McDonald, but it's also the tiniest details that truly make this film a work of art. You may normally not pay attention to the short film categories at the Oscars (partly because they're not as widely distributed as the feature films), but after watching Logorama I think you'll be rooting for it come March 7th.

Check it out after the jump and let us know what you think.

There are plenty of movies I don't get a chance to see, due to the fact that I actually require sustenance and sleep. Sometimes I just don't have the time; sometimes I think the movie looks like it will be a waste of my time. But either way, there are always Oscar-nominated movies that I haven't managed to catch yet. And, of course, now is the time when I will scramble to see them all, or at least the major contenders. In fact, AMC Theaters offers a "Best Picture Showcase" for us slackers -- get the details here.

So which are on my list? Well, you can probably guess from some of my previous posts that I've been admittedly quite judgmental and have avoided The Blind Side so far. And by happenstance, I've also managed to miss Up, A Serious Man, Crazy Heart, The Last Station, The Princess and the Frog, and, well, The Secret of Kells doesn't count because I don't even think it screened in New York. I also haven't seen any of the nominated documentaries or foreign language pictures. I'm really not sure I'll be able to see all of them in time without the aid of nauseating, taurine-tainted beverages and/or meth.

What about you? Are you obsessive when it comes to watching every Oscar-nominated movie before the show? Do you and your coworkers or friends bet on the winners ahead of time or print out ballots the night of the show? Do you go back and watch them later to see what the big deal was? Which ones are still left on your list to check off?

Some people wait all year for Christmas morning. Others start prepping their Halloween costumes on November 1st. But movie nerds, industry insiders, journalists, and anyone who likes to sound smart at dinner parties think Oscar season is the most magical time of the year. And today, at 5:38 AM Pacific, Anne Hathaway and AMPAS prez Tom Sherak are announcing the nominations for this year's Academy Awards. Seems a particularly cruel time to pick since Hollywood will be sleeping (or still awake from the night before, perhaps), but such is life. The envelope, please...

BEST PICTURE
"Avatar" James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
"The Blind Side" Nominees to be determined
"District 9" Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
"An Education" Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
"The Hurt Locker" Nominees to be determined
"Inglourious Basterds" Lawrence Bender, Producer
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
"A Serious Man" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
"Up" Jonas Rivera, Producer
"Up in the Air" Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

BEST DIRECTOR
"Avatar" James Cameron
"The Hurt Locker" Kathryn Bigelow
"Inglourious Basterds" Quentin Tarantino
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" Lee Daniels
"Up in the Air" Jason Reitman

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney in "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth in "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman in "Invictus"
Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker"

BEST ACTRESS
Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side"
Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"
Carey Mulligan in "An Education"
Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon in "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger"
Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station"
Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penélope Cruz in "Nine"
Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air"
Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart"
Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"

A few days ago, something slipped through my RSS Feed that must be discussed here at Cinematical. On Monday, The Wrap wrote a piece about the Academy's choices for Original and Adapted Screenplay and revealed that Bright Star was deemed an Adapted Screenplay, not an Original one. If there is any problem with the Academy, with the Oscars, and with giving this struggling institution new life, I think the first step would be learning the meaning of the awards it's giving out. I'm brow-furrowed and flabbergasted.

Let's back up. Bright Star is Jane Campion's account about the love affair between John Keats and Fanny Brawne. She was inspired to write the film after reading a biography of the poet (written by Andrew Motion) as well as Keats' own poetry. However, the film is told from Brawne's point of view, and there isn't a whole lot written about her. In short: Campion imagined what their love affair might have been like after reading a number of sources. In even shorter words: She researched and filled in the blanks creatively. Nevertheless, her work has been deemed an adaptation, as if she just read someone else's work, and adapted as she saw fit.

Unless Campion is lying, and there's this big, secret Keats/Brawne work that we all don't know about, how on earth could they come to this decision? Last year, Dustin Lance Black won for Milk, and without a doubt, he researched his subject, and didn't create it all out of thin air. And he also, most definitely, had a lot more source material to work with. In 2007, both Letters from Iwo Jima and The Queen grabbed Original Screenplay nominations. Syriana was inspired by a true story, as was Hotel Rwanda, The Aviator ... you get my point.

Thoughts?

For movie fans, the Academy Awards are kind of like the Superbowl. But unlike the Superbowl, when it comes to the Oscars it hasn't always been an even playing field. In the world of sports it all seems so simple: if you win, you get a spot in the championships. But in the world of movies, sometimes the films that are the most loved by audiences (or critics) are overlooked by Academy members because of a long-standing prejudice against blockbusters, or because they're labeled as "genre fare". But, a recent article in Variety has suggested that sci-films (which have traditionally been relegated to the tech categories) could finally be earning some respect as Best Picture contenders. For some time now, there has been a complaint that the Academy has lost touch with modern films, and that the members still suffer from a touch of snobbery when it comes to what makes a film worthy of consideration for that little golden man.

But things are changing, and with 10 spots open for Best Picture nods there is a chance that this year maybe it won't be the same old movies making it into the winners circle. Sci-fi is more popular than ever before, and in 2009, some of the best reviewed flicks were genre films. But until those nominations are announced, we can only speculate, so I decided to put forth my suggestions for sci-fi films that I think have earned a shot at an Oscar. Now before we get started, keep in mind that I'm not saying these films should win an Oscar, just that they deserve a shot.

After the jump: My 5 suggestions for sci-fi Oscar contenders....

One mark of a world-class actor is the ability to convince us that a character exists outside the confines of the screenplay. It is one thing to skillfully deliver a dramatic monologue, to tap depths of volcanic rage or crippling grief for a big Oscar moment played to the cheap seats. Far rarer and more valuable are performances that quietly suggest what isn't spelled out: key character details expressed through gait or inflection; off-screen experiences hinted at with a look, a gesture, or a wayward smile. This is really a difference between an actor and a performer. Tom Cruise is a great performer. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a great actor. So is, for example, Patricia Clarkson.

In The Messenger, Ben Foster plays Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery, who is shipped home after an injury, and assigned to serve out the last three months of his enlistment on "notification duty" with the apparently unbalanced Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson). The two of them are tasked with telling the next of kin that a soldier won't be coming home, a job that consists of knocking on a door, reading from a script ("the Secretary of the Army extends his deepest condolences..."), and bracing oneself for a likely onslaught of abuse.

By: Erik Childress

It's sad that every year the awards season is kicked off with the National Board of Review (see our post from yesterday for the complete list of winners). As unknown as the members of the MPAA or the Hollywood Foreign Press – and about as credible as serious-minded critics of film – we nevertheless entrust their choices to help steer our curiosity towards the eventual Oscar nominees. Christening this flying wasp yesterday with the announcement that Up In The Air has taken their prize for Best Picture of 2009, they can now await their RSVP from George Clooney, amongst others to their annual party. Which is what it's really all about for them. But if the Academy Awards have taught us anything, it's to respect the trends and traditions in place. Plus a few people who have seen only about a quarter of the films released this year could use a tip in the right direction.

Coming up tops is indeed Jason Reitman's Up In The Air, widely considered to be a frontrunner for this year's Best Picture honors at the Oscars. The film certainly has a leg up for a nomination with this win as 9 of the last 10 NBR winners have gone on to a nod. Quills was the lone holdout in 2000. But only three of their choices in that time (American Beauty, No Country for Old Men and Slumdog Millionaire) have jetted on to winning the big prize.

Are members from the documentary branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences being paid to short list some films over others? That's what it sounds like director James Toback was alluding to when he spoke to the New York Times recently about how his buzzed-about documentary, Tyson, was left off the Academy's short list along with several other notable documentaries from the past year. Toback told the Times that at some point during the selection process he experienced something he puts "fully in the category of extortion", adding that he did not go along with it.

Speaking on behalf of the documentary branch -- which Toback refers to as "some tiny, dirty covert weirdly protective group" -- chairman (and filmmaker) Rob Epstein said, "I have no idea. It certainly hasn't come before me." Among some of the critically acclaimed docs snubbed this year are Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story, the awesome Anvil! The Story of Anvil, and The September Issue. This year's documentary short list was narrowed down to 15 finalists from 89 possible contenders. So, yeah, obviously you're going to see some fantastic films miss the cut, and, subsequently, some pissed off filmmakers, but it's a pretty bold move for Toback to go and claim extortion, don't you think?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences documentary committee has watched the 89 eligible docs that were submitted and whittled the field down to 15 finalists, from which the five Oscar nominees will be chosen. But before we even get there we gotta talk about the snubs.

Notably absent from the shortlist are Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story and the highly praised Anvil! The Story of Anvil, which last month earned the distinction of being the first "for your consideration" screener sent to Academy members this year. Last year's best-reviewed documentary, Man on Wire, went on to win the Oscar; Anvil! holds that title this year (98% at Rotten Tomatoes), but it's not even going to be nominated.

Other noteworthy titles not among the top 15: Tyson (about the boxer, not the chicken company) and The September Issue (about Anna Wintour and Vogue magazine). Michael Jackson's This Is It and Chris Rock's Good Hair didn't hit theaters until October, qualifying them for next year's documentary category -- for docs, the eligibility period is September-August, not January-December. (This Is It might not be eligible anyway, since Academy rules forbid films that are "essentially unfiltered records of performances," which could apply here.) The highest-grossing documentary of the year, Earth, isn't eligible because it was mostly repackaged material that had already aired on TV.

The complete shortlist is after the jump.